Resounding

When I was far enough down the hall that I was sure he couldn’t hear me, I stopped walking and undid my tie. I hurled it as hard as I could against a wall, then watched the fabric crumple against the floor. When my breathing returned to normal, I picked up the tie, stuck it in my pocket, and left through the front door at a more urgent pace. Even more important than getting to work on time was getting back home as soon as possible and trying to forget about the day’s events.

When I got home, I tried according to my plan. Not according to my plan: I tried, and failed.